The first day we hiked north from the campground to Koosah Falls, then Sahalie Falls, and then around Clear Lake and back. It looks like it's possible to rent rowboats and kayaks at Clear Lake. I've read about the underwater forest under Clear Lake, so I'd love to go back sometime and take a boat out on the lake!
One of my favorite parts of the hike was the "Great Spring" on the north end of Clear Lake, where you can see the water bubbling up from the ground. The spring is a brilliant blue color that's somewhat reminiscent of the blue pool. Does anyone know why both pools are so blue? I did some reading online but couldn't confirm. It sounds like it may be related to minerals in the lava rock, but I'm not certain.
Here is a video we made of this day hike (Koosah Falls, Sahalie Falls, and the loop around Clear Lake). We saw a lot of people at Koosah Falls and Sahalie Falls, but after the waterfalls it was mostly just us.
The second morning, we were relieved to find that our tent hadn't leaked overnight, so we were still reasonably dry (though definitely cold) despite camping in the rain
. We met up with my mom and brother and hiked to the Blue Pool. The trail was pretty crowded along this whole section, but it's still one of my favorite hikes. The sun even came out for part of it, which felt amazing, particularly in our somewhat disheveled state after camping! Video of the Blue Pool segment:The third day we checked out part of the Lower McKenzie River Trail, but we unfortunately didn't have time to do a very long section. We started at Deer Creek, just past a 4-mile wildfire closure area, and hiked downstream a few miles. My brother was excited to check out the hot springs near this trailhead, but they're currently washed out because the river is so high. We'll have to come back another time!
